Make Word of Mouth Great Again

The music is mastered. It’s finished! And it sounds good.

I’m proud of the music. And it could not have been created without your support and the work of the men who played on and produced the songs. 

Thank you. 

I plan to release the record (put it on the internet) on August 10th. Which gives you plenty of time to cancel all your plans and come to the celebratory performance in a backyard in Austin.

Stay tuned for the details.

I am not on social media.

I was on social media for a long time. I remember when people posted unfiltered, uncalculated photos on Instagram of their dog or cool rock they found on the ground. 

Now everything is perfectly curated.

It’s all content to be consumed. 

It seems like this attitude has infected how we interact with art now.

What happened to art that is appreciated? 

Appreciated simply for what it is. Because it makes you pause for a moment. It makes you feel something beyond personal satisfaction. You enjoy it. Even if you can’t put a finger on it.

Am I missing something? Am I just being cynical?

I’ll step off my soap box.

Why am I not on social media?

Distraction

Social media stole my attention.

There were a lot of things I wanted to do, like improve at the guitar or read a book. But time passed by in the blink of an eye whenever I’d start scrolling.

Social media kept me from doing things I actually, really wanted to do.

It also kept me from taking the time to reflect on my life. My mind was always occupied with the next photo or video.

Discomfort

Social media made me uncomfortable.

I felt left out at times. I despaired over all the bad things I saw going on around the world. I lusted for and objectified the half-naked women that were somehow always in my feed (probably because I clicked on them). I constantly compared myself to people, either feeling prideful for being “better than” or depressed because I didn’t measure up.

Not once did social media make me feel at rest. 

So I cut it out like a tumor and deleted it.         

Absence

Social media robbed my presence of mind.

Years later while I was performing in California folks implored me to get an Instagram. I had had enough space from it that I thought it’d be alright. I didn’t feel tempted to mindlessly scroll. I didn’t follow any accounts. I focused only on using it as a tool to share music with people.

After a couple months I was driving into Telluride, a town that sits in a gorgeous valley high up in the Rockies. I tried to perfectly capture the drama of the mountains towering above me as I drove up the valley with the perfect arrival song playing in the background.

I couldn’t get it quite right. I deleted each attempt as I ran out of road. So I pulled over to the shoulder to settle for a perfectly snapped photo.

Then I realized I was looking at this spectacular sight through a screen. And was totally missing out.

Most disturbingly though, I was completely disengaged from the present moment. Why am I not just enjoying this? I thought. Why can’t I just be here?

I exited out of Instagram and deleted it off my phone again.

A wave of relief washed over me. I stood and soaked in the beauty of the valley and the mountains towering above me – the orange and red aspens inflaming the mountainsides like wildfire.

I felt free to appreciate what was directly in front of me. Not trying to consume it or curate it for consumption.

So, how will I promote my music?

I rely on you.

Appreciating art is a communal act.

The Stones played their first shows at the Marquee Club in London in the early 60s. Legend has it that they first played to an audience of like ten. But they played well. The next show the audience doubled in size. And by the third show the place was sold out.

People used to come across artists and drag their friends to a show.

Algorithms feed us art now. We discover art, for the most part, individually.

But I’m not sharing music with an algorithm.

I’m sharing music with people.

So if you enjoy the music, send it to your friends. Put it on your playlists.

You (and I) are responsible for getting the music in people’s ears.

You can also share my new website: www.caswell-lee-orr.com 

Let's make word of mouth great again.

What do you think?

Are you on social media? Am I just totally wrong? Is it not that deep? Am I taking it all too seriously? Am I just being cynical? Does this resonate with you?

I’d love to know what you think.

Sincerely,

Caswell